MARGAO: Even as the government spent around Rs 1.37 crore in the current financial year under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), it has failed to regularise the services of 114 youth employed to implement the scheme in South Goa.
In another interesting development which could benefit a lot of panchayats, de-silting and cleaning of roadside drains and gutters and clearing of road side bushes is now permissible under the NREGA scheme.
During the current financial year, in the seven talukas of Ponda, Mormugao, Salcete, Quepem, Sanguem, Dharbandora and Canacona; 14,533 persons registered under the scheme were provided employment to work for 51,160 hours.
Some of the works undertaken under the scheme include construction of pathway in Ward No 6 of Marcel village in Ponda taluka; construction of steps near Poinguinim market in Canacona taluka; construction of embankment and retaining wall for the khazan pond at Vodlem Ordh in Ilha de Rachol in Salcete taluka and de-silting and cleaning of nallah in Dharbandora taluka.
The workers registered under the scheme are paid Rs 229 per day of which 90 per cent meaning Rs 206 is paid from the Central government funds and the balance amount of Rs 23 is paid by the State government.
Ironically, the 114 youth employed by the government to implement this scheme in South Goa are still working on contract basis for nearly nine years since they were recruited in 2008 as their contract is renewed for every financial year.
There are four programme officers, for engineers, eight accountants and 86 Gram Rojgar Sahayaks monitoring the scheme in South Goa with many of the Gram Rojgar Sahayaks posted at the panchayat level.
The Gram Rojgar Sahayak has to prepare the project to be undertaken in the panchayat under the scheme and get it sanctioned by the authority. Besides, the social audit held twice a year to assess the scheme has also to be conducted by the Gram Rojgar Sahayak.
In an interesting development, clearing of roadside bushes and desilting and cleaning or roadside drains and gutters is now permitted under the NREGA scheme. While this work was permitted when this scheme was launched, it was stopped for the last many years.
Panchayats were finding it difficult to clear the roadside bushes and clean the drains as they had to utilise panchayat funds which many panchayats lack. It would be pertinent to note that this issue is hotly debated at many gram sabhas.
